Joe.My.God. LGBT News
Via press release from the Vatican:
At 9:45 AM, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, announced the death of Pope Francis from the Casa Santa Marta with these words:
“Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church.
“He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God.”
The New York Times reports:
An American of Irish origin, Cardinal Farrell becomes the Vatican’s de facto administrator after the death of a pope. Mourners, some in tears, quickly went to St. Peter’s Square in Rome, as tributes poured in from global leaders offering condolences to the world’s Catholics and praising the pontiff’s commitment to the poor and marginalized.
The death of Francis sets off deliberations and machinations to choose a successor. The absence of Francis, a humble champion of the poor, creates a vacuum in the leadership of more than one billion Catholics.
It also leaves the church’s cardinals with a critical decision: whether to choose a new pope who will follow his welcoming, global approach or to restore the more doctrinaire path of his predecessors.
CNN reports:
The pope continued to hold engagements up to Easter Sunday, when he met briefly with US Vice President JD Vance. Francis gave the traditional Easter blessing from the balcony of St. Peter’s, although an aide read out the Urbi et Orbi on his behalf.
Vance said on X on Monday that he was happy to have seen the pope “though he was obviously very ill.” “My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him,” Vance said.
The pope’s tireless advocacy for migrants saw him sharply criticize US President Donald Trump’s immigration deportation policies in the months before his death. Francis, whose pontificate was a counterweight to the rise of nationalist populism, often found himself under fire from powerful conservative Catholic forces in the US.
Reuters reports:
Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent his condolences on the passing of Pope Francis, the Kremlin said on Monday.
“Please accept my most sincere condolences on the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis,” Putin said in a message to Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church.
“Throughout the years of his pontificate, he actively promoted the development of dialogue between the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, as well as constructive cooperation between Russia and the Holy See.”
NPR reports:
The outspoken pope lent his voice to almost every modern issue facing the world, often taking the side of the marginalized and vulnerable. He spoke out against commercial exploitation of the environment, rich countries’ unwillingness to accept migrants, the alienation caused by technology and the lucrative sale of weapons of war.
He was unafraid to tussle with some of the most powerful figures in politics, famously calling President Trump’s plans to build a border wall “not Christian” in 2016, and correcting Vice President Vance on Christians’ obligations to care for immigrants in 2025.
For all of that, Francis was at times a controversial figure in his own church. Conservative critics charged him with bending church dogma as a concession to modern mores. Progressives, meanwhile, were disappointed that he did not go further to include LGBTQ Catholics and women in church leadership roles.
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